Nile acquires Dig Inclusion
We’re delighted to announce Nile’s acquisition of Dig Inclusion, a pioneering digital media inclusivity company, and its flagship tool, HUGR.
Category Archive: Blog
Being a changemaker is lonely. Don’t do it alone.
15 years of working on the frontlines of design and change have taught us some hard truths about transforming organisations. Here are four lessons that every changemaker needs to know to feel less alone.
Business briefing: vulnerable customers
The clock is ticking on the FCA’s New Consumer Duty. This is the year to embed an inclusive design practice throughout your organisation, serving your vulnerable customers right.
Building your inclusive design capability
Inclusive design is powerful, but only when it’s done right – otherwise firms will continue to create products and services that cause harm. Read about the mindsets, practices and resources we use in Nile to help teams cultivate inclusive design in their organisations.
Vulnerable customers: The FCA’s New Consumer Duty is everyone’s duty.
Inclusive design isn’t just a job for an accessibility team anymore. This is for everyone. It’s great news for vulnerable customers, but we anticipate it will be a significant challenge for many FS firms.
Want to be a futurist? Start by cultivating these four habits
What are the foundations of futures thinking? Let’s take a look at four habits we’ve developed at Nile that can help you build futures literacy.
Practicing foresight as a service designer
Design leaders and their teams should work with one eye on the future. Here are some practical ways to incorporate foresight and service design practices into your work.
Planning co-design sessions was a nightmare… until we built this template
We’ve created, tested, and refined a new co-design planning toolkit in Nile. And now we’re sharing it with the community.
Remote teams fall apart. This is the framework Nile uses to keep them together.
Two things help build strong remote teams; their mindset, and their toolset. This is Nile’s approach to setting remote teams up for success.
Our top three rules to make remote UX research a success
…and the five questions you need to ask yourself before you start talking to customers
Adventures in Remote Team Socials
We’re really lucky here at Nile. We’re a lively bunch in a sociable workplace. How do we keep that vibe going when we’re all stuck at home?
Times have changed. Have your comms?
Right now, any customer could be a vulnerable customer. Automated communications written for a different time have the power to do unseen damage. Today, more than ever, organisations have a responsibility to reduce unintended consequences.
Nile’s guide to remote research tools
Whether you’re in UX, innovation, or design, all your user research is remote research now. What are the best tools to engage with customers remotely?
Data as the new status quo
Becoming an intelligent enterprise isn’t a question of how much data or how accessible it is. It’s a question of how prepared your culture is to embrace it.
The top three digital self-service adoption killers
Digital self-service has become an ambition in every industry, but some organisations are still making basic errors.
Calling bullshit on ‘agile’ catchphrases
Teams are abusing Agile maxims to cover up bad work. It’s time to call it out.
The future of Scottish fintech
Building on Scotland’s early success in the sector means attracting new investors, narrowing the focus, and reaching across borders.
Want to build a successful innovation function? Here are four ways.
Digital and innovation practices are established in almost all companies today, it’s old news. So why is everyone doing it differently?
What’s next for workplace culture?
It was mental health week last week. We tried something groundbreaking at Nile.
The hardest thing a service designer can do
How do you explain the role of a service designer to 90 eight-year-olds? Like any good service designer, it starts with audience research.
Here’s how blockchain will reshape the engagement economy
Technology is offering groundbreaking new opportunities for ambitious businesses — but outstanding design and a sharp focus on the customer are what will set brands apart in the years to come.
Designing for the future of work
The future of work might look different, but it’s a revolution being led by us humans. Read our five principles for the future of work.
In Open Banking we trust…?
The time has come for real change in banking services. Open banking presents an opportunity to make financial services more efficient, more flexible and better able to serve customers.
Designing services for distributed organisations of tomorrow
Disruptive technologies like blockchain are redefining how organisations are structured and offering lucrative new opportunities for innovation in service and experience design.
SDN’s first Scottish meet-up on Foresight
Service Design Network is a global platform for connecting like-minded creative types on a mission to improve services and products for people. SDN had its first meetup in Scotland to discuss Foresight — we’ve written some highlights for those that couldn’t make it.
The ripple effects of a cashless society
Dr Alexa Haynes, Nile’s Senior Design Researcher, introduces TED Talk presenter Richard Wright and Volkan Topalli’s article on the rise of the digital economy and a cashless society.
Why it’s difficult to think about the future
Last year, we explored the future of insurance with a large finance client. This project unearthed the limitations of design techniques in helping our clients think beyond a two-year horizon. At that point, we started to explore additional methods such as foresight to expand how we work. Our exploration showed us that it’s not easy to think about the future — and we wondered why?
GDPR for dummies
It’s been clear for some time that data laws need to change and will be changing — but quite often the terms in which this is discussed is vague, sensationalist or highly technical. We’ve created a simple guide for those who want to know more about what the new regulation is, and what its impact is likely to be.
How to design better conversations with machines
Automation is perceived as a cost-saving shortcut, but until we can design better conversations with machines, firms can’t rely on robots to build trust in their services.
The 5 elements of a brilliant design sprint
We’ve long talked about the benefits of using design sprints to solve problems and validate ideas.
Building smarter services on the blockchain
The UK government is getting serious about blockchain, and the future of fintech could be the key to delivering better public services.
Can biometrics save the high street?
For physical shops hoping to compete with online retailers, data and biometrics offer new hope. But success is only possible with a razor-sharp focus on the customer experience.
What the NHS can learn about innovation from Uber
The need for smart, creative and affordable solutions is growing fast as the UK healthcare crisis deepens. Uber demonstrates how design-led innovation can drive industries forward.
Here’s why ambitious fintech startups should be looking to Scotland
Political and economic disruption is turning Edinburgh into a global fintech capital, making it the perfect time for ambitious startups to move their operations to Scotland.